Club Update from Galway Summer Rally

The Galway Summer Rally took place on Sunday 19th August in the Tuam area and the event consisted of
three loops with three stages in each. After days of heavy rain the roads had dried up well and conditions
were perfect for all of the stages which were a mixture of fast and technical. The entry list was competitive
with crews coming from all over Ireland and Mayo Motorsport Club was well represented.

After the first three stage loop, Derek McCarthy co-driving for Stephen Reynolds in a Honda Civic were
leading class 1, with Mark Taheny and Stephen Gallagher also in a Honda Civic in 2nd place. Ronan Denning
and Karl Egan were leading class 2 in their Peugeot 208 R2. In class 11R Barry Cuffe and Stephen McGing
were the highest placed Mayo crew in 8th place with John McCarthy co-driving for Florian Niedermueller
and father & son team Tadgh and Shane Buckley not far behind. In class 14, Lorcan Moore co-driving for
John Reddington in a Ford Escort were in 5 th place; Sean McHugh & Kathleen Kennedy had issues in the
morning but rejoined under rally 2 regulations. John Warren and Ruthann O’Connor had gearbox problems
with their Toyota Corolla Twin Cam on Saturday and after a great team effort and a late night they were
back on track and finished the first loop in 7th position in class 13R.

After the second loop, Derek McCarthy and Stephen Reynolds were still leading class 1, unfortunately their
classmates – Mark Taheny and Stephen Gallagher had problems which ended their day early after stage 5.
In class 2 Ronan Denning and Karl Egan slipped to 2nd place, while in class 14 Lorcan Moore and John
Reddington held on to 5th place. In class 11R all three Mayo crews had climbed a few places with Barry
Cuffe and Stephen McGing in 7th; John McCarthy co-driving for Florian Niedermueller in 8 th and the
Buckley’s in 11th, while in class 13R John Warren & Ruthann O’Connor had worked their way up to 4th.

A shower of rain before the final loop in the early afternoon did not affect the surface too much and the
road dried quickly for the last three stages. It was a good day overall for Mayo Club members with Derek
McCarthy co-driving for Stephen Reynolds taking the honours in class 1 in their Honda Civic. Ronan
Denning and Karl Egan took 2nd place in class 2. In class 14 Lorcan Moore co-driving for John Reddington in
a Ford Escort took 3rd place. In the same class Sean McHugh & Katheen Kennedy were 5th.
In Class 11R, there were three Mayo entries – Barry Cuffe & Stephen McGing were 6th, John McCarthy
co driving for Florian Niedermueller came 7th and father & son crew Tadgh & Shane Buckley were 10th. After
a testing weekend for John Warren and Ruthann O’Connor, they were unfortunate not to finish after
completing eight of the nine stages in their Toyota Corolla.

Well done to Galway Motor Club for running a great event and a big thank you to all Mayo Motorsport
members who officiated and marshalled on the day.